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Women work without a break for their families, society, and friends all through the year. So, on IWD 2016, LEAD conducted their 3rd annual "Recognizing the Unrecognized", where women in our society who are rarely recognized but are responsible for important work were recognized for their contributions, such as cleaning railway stations, bus stands, picking household trash, selling vegetables etc. LEAD and LEADers believe that, without these women, our communities would come to a standstill.

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. To that purpose, the LEaders Accelerating Development (LEAD) Program of the Deshpande Foundation was born. LEAD develops innovative and entrepreneurial thinking within college students by exposing them to social issues, encouraging them to volunteer their time and effort into the community, and igniting their latent talent to come up with creative solutions. Through this unique platform provided by LEAD, students are gaining the skills and confidence needed to transform their visions into realities. Armed with guidance, exposure, networking opportunities, financial assistance, and encouragement from LEAD, students from throughout 75 colleges and 14 districts are unleashing their leadership potential to go on inspiring and improving those around them.

The 6th Yuva Summit, an international youth conference on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship hosted by the Leaders Accelerating Development program, began in Hubballi on 6th February with Mr. Ravindranath Gumaste, Managing Director of Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd., cutting the ceremonial ribbon that let the hundreds of attendees, including students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and honoured guests, into the event grounds.

On 24th January, 107 promising students from across Karnataka and neighbouring states descended upon the VTU campus in Belagavi to mark the kick-off of the 5th annual LEAD Prayana. These students, along with 32 beginning their journey on the same day in Nizamabad, were selected from a pool of almost 500 applicants. LEAD Prayana, which began in 2012 with just 63 students, is an annual leadership journey that takes almost 150 passionate students between the ages of 18-26 throughout India on a 14-day tour across Karnataka...

I am passionate about science, especially physics. My affair with Science started during my childhood and it deepened in my high school when I started participating in Science exhibitions with my models. During Pre University Education, I built the Levitation Train with few of my friends and grabbed prizes at several competitions. “Physics of the Impossible” by Michio Kaku was a book that exposed me further to the vastness of the science and motivated me to start a science group called “Blackbody Science Group (Which Absorbs All Wavelength of Intuitive Minds)”. This group engages in creating interest about science among government and physically disabled school children.

My
LEAD journey began with one little girl named Fatima.Fatima, around 8 years old, desperately wanted to go to
school. Her family being poor, though, Fatima had to help her mother every day,
who worked as a maid.I would see
Fatima every day, and seriously worried about the girl’s condition.I talked to her and made her my
friend.Fatima was innocent, but I
could see her innocence diminishing.I soon realized that Fatima was not alone, and that there were many
other girls in Fatima’s same situation, or worse.

Fatima’s
story inspired my first LEAD project.I went to the government school near Fatima’s home and learned that most
of the children were only attending school two weeks every month, at the
most.I decided to take action.At first I approached the parents of
the children and tried to explain to them the importance of education, but I was
greeted with opposition.Many of the parents shouted at me and even slammed the doors in my
face.But I didn’t give up.I couldn’t give up. I then went to the
school.On Saturdays and Sundays
for three months, I volunteered at the school and devised fun ways to teach the
children the basic skills that they were lacking, which also helped generate an
interest for school within the children.

But
ultimately, I knew that helping the children wasn’t enough.I realized that the root of the problem
lay with the parents, and that I would have to convince the parents to let
their children come to school.I
decided to focus on the mothers, and for one month I taught them basic literacy
skills.

Because
of my project, 50 children, including Fatima, are attending school regularly. The
success of this project really improved my confidence.When it happened, I felt so good and
happy.I had no idea my project
would be so successful.50
children going back to school is a big thing.

Feeling
totally motivated and energized, I completed another project that aimed to improve
the condition of government school children.In my second project, I organized acting, painting, model
making, and singing competitions to showcase children’s talents in two
government schools. The children’s artistic productions were published in local
newspapers.

I
can honestly say that LEAD provoked my inner heart and inspired social
awareness within me.Above all,
though, LEAD challenged me to become an active member of society. I have
started speaking up about issues, which I never used to.I used to hesitate.But now, whenever I feel something is
wrong, I speak up.LEAD has
changed me.